The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

 

Well it feels kind of fitting to finish a book about a  natural disaster on the one year anniversary of a natural disaster that hit my hometown on August 10, 2020: the Derecho. An inland hurricane in Iowa. One year later we are still dealing with recovery. And wouldn't you know, we've had one severe storm today, and I can hear rumblings of another getting ready to break tonight. To say folks around here are a bit jumpy wouldn't be an exaggeration. 

The Nature of Fragile Things is about two natural disasters: the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and the natural disaster of one horrible man causing heartache and havoc (with a side of murder) in the lives of three different women. 

Sophie Whalen arrives in San Francisco ready to marry Martin Hocking and become mother to his young daughter. She's been living in New York after arriving from Ireland, and was miserable living in a tenement and working at a factory. Answering a mail order bride ad in the newspaper brings Sophie to San Francisco and the hope of a new life. Martin Hocking is handsome, no doubt, but there's something just a bit off about him. He's all work and there's not an ounce of warmth in him. His daughter Kat doesn't speak much at all after the death of her mother. Martin makes no attempts to help Kat through her issues and gladly hands her off to Sophie. Sophie of course loves Kat to bits and embraces her role as a mother. 

Things with Martin get even more strange when a woman named Belinda arrives on their doorstep, asking for help. Here's where things get really odd, and the story starts to unfold. But first, there's a major earthquake to survive--but does everyone survive?

Sophie starts out as what seems to be a innocent young woman, just so relieved to finally have a safe place to land. However, it quickly becomes apparent that she's one tough lady, not afraid to protect herself and Kat by any means necessary. Sophie is no pushover. There are hints about her life in Ireland, but it remains in the shadows-you know something happened, just not sure what. 

The story takes a few dips and twists--some which aren't really surprising, but it's an interesting plot. I was a bit disappointed the earthquake wasn't more prominent, but I will have to read some non-fiction books about it to fill my interest in all of it. 

There is a final chapter that helps close some of the questions left in the story; it offers a glimpse of what becomes of Kat, Sophie, and Belinda years down the road.  

An interesting novel that read quickly. The women are all strong, and remain so through their trials and low points. Martin is the true bad guy, who just keeps showing new unpleasant sides to his personality and motives. 

Rating: 3/6 for an interesting historical novel about surviving the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. It's a reminder of the strength of women to overcome bad marriages, abusive spouses, and disappointments; surviving it all to keep going. It's also a novel about female friendship, unbreakable bonds, and the love of a mother and child.  

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner

To say I was a little excited to read this book would be an understatement. I read Nancy Turner's first novel, These is My Words, waaaay back in the late 1990's, and absolutely fell in love with it. To this day, it remains one of my favorite novels. 

Most people re-read favorite novels over and over, but I don't. I like to preserve that experience of discovering a story that sticks with me the first time I read it, and I think that if I read it again, it will somehow change for me, and I don't want that. So I will continue to tell people about These is My Words, all based on my first and only read. 

However, Nancy Turner kept writing, and wrote Sarah's Quilt and The Star Garden, and My Name is Resolute, which continue the story of Sarah Prine, and then jump back to Sarah's ancestor, Resolute. Light Changes Everything tells the story of Mary Pearl Prine, Sarah's niece.  It's 1907, and Arizona is still a territory of the United States, and still a dangerous place to live. Mary Pearl is seventeen and wants to go to college. She's been accepted into Wheaton College in Illinois to study art and is excited to go. However, just as she's making preparations, in walks Aubrey Hanna, a rising lawyer who sees Mary Pearl and decides he must marry her. 

Mary Pearl is torn between marriage to an up and coming young man, and following her dream to attend college. She decides to leave for college quickly, sending Aubrey a letter stating that she does want to marry him, just not quite yet. 

Mary Pearl's life changes at Wheaton College. She's the young lady from the Wild West, and is at odds with the sophisticated students who attend her school. But, she finds the one thing that will change her life: photography. Slowly making friends and finding her way through school, she begins to settle into life away from Arizona and her parent's ranch. 

Alright. I'm not going to tell you any more. I'll give too much away. 

I zipped through this novel faster than I expected to; the story of Mary Pearl and her family is so skillfully written that I gulped it all down like a good cup of coffee. Sarah, one of my top female characters EVER, is featured here as wise counsel to her niece, still tough as nails and running her own ranch. The Prine family come to life, and through all their trials and troubles, you keep rooting for them. Life is still harsh and unforgiving in Arizona Territory. The matter of fact attitude of early settlers may seem cold sometimes, but only the tough survive and thrive. 

You don't have to read the previous novels by Nancy Turner to enjoy this one, however, if you haven't read These is My Words, I would suggest you do so because it is such a wonderful story. I did read Sarah's Quilt and The Star Garden, and while I did want to know more of Sarah's journey, I would have been happy to just stick with These is My Words. You decide. They are all wonderful books about a strong family, and the incredibly tough women who kept it all together and persevered no matter what. 

Rating: 5/6 for a much anticipated return to the Prine family. Mary Pearl follows in the footsteps of her courageous aunt Sarah as she navigates college, family expectations, and her own heart. 

Available in hardcover ebook, and audio. 

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Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner

The Perfect Fraud by Ellen Lacorte

This was a novel I received from HarperCollins last month and it took me awhile to dig into it. A sleepless night was the key to flipping the switch and really diving into the story. Then of course, I wanted to stay home and finish it the next day but darn it all I had to work! I finished it at lunch. 

I've read a lot of domestic thrillers in the past few years, ever since Gone Girl and Girl on the Train jump-started the genre. I have to confess it's not my favorite type of read. And heck, it makes you look around at the people in your life and wonder if there's a story there just waiting to get out. I had a hard time getting into this story; I kept putting it down and moving onto other books. 

Part of the reason was because one of the main characters-Rena-is so unlikeable I didn't want to read her story. If you think she's unlikeable in the beginning, just hold onto your shorts, because she doesn't grow on you at all!

Short plot: Rena is a mother who has a daughter, Stephanie, aged four. Ever since she was a baby, Stephanie has suffered from painful stomach ailments. Rena has spent all her time taking Stephanie to doctor after doctor, demanding test after test and no one can figure out what is wrong with Stephanie. A few times she's been so ill--her sodium levels have skyrocketed and put her in severe health crises. Rena is fed up with the doctor who is treat Stephanie, so she decides to fly to Arizona to see a specialist. Rena also runs a blog that not only discusses her daughter's illness, but talks about Rena's search for healthy food and alternative ways to heal her daughter. 

The other main character is Claire. She lives in Arizona, and works in Sedona as a psychic--who gives fake readings. She doesn't care, actually. Mostly because her mother is a psychic, and pushed Claire to develop her natural talents in that area. But Claire resents her mother, and shut it all off (she actually doesn't think she's got any psychic abilities anyway). Claire is a bit prickly; her boyfriend wants to marry her, but she keeps him at arm's length. Her father's health suddenly nosedives, and she has to fly back home.

On the flight back to Arizona, Claire sits next to Rena and Stephanie. This is where to two paths finally cross. And where the story gets interesting. 

It's pretty easy to figure out what's going on with Rena and Stephanie. Rena is so completely unlikeable that she leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and a fair bit of rage in your heart. Claire grows on you, for sure. She has some big revelations that shake her up, and in doing so, opens up her psychic talents BIG time. You will get to a certain point in the action where you won't be able to put the book down, and you'll feel your heart rate increase a bit! 

It's a fast read, and even though I struggled a bit at the beginning, it turned out to be a pretty good story. Certainly a different one--not at all what I expected when I picked it up. Definitely a vacation read you'll pass onto your friends. 

A big thanks to HarperCollins for a preview copy. It's a book I probably wouldn't have read otherwise, so I'm always grateful for a chance to step outside my reading comfort zone and try something different. 

Rating: 4/6 for a domestic thriller that takes a few twists and turns and ends with a bit of a zip. A quick read that will grip you as you race towards the end. 

Available in hardcover, audio, and ebook. 

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The Perfect Fraud by Ellen Lacorte

The Iron Druid Chronicles: Hounded and Hexed

 I enjoy my sci-fi/fantasy novels, but lately I've had a hard time finding books that appeal to me.  It seems that everything involves a leather -clad hot chick with either a sword, motorcycle, or an attached demon.  

Enter The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.  I've read the first two in this series:  Hounded  and Hexed.  Hounded sat on my bookshelf for many months, and after a few false starts, I committed myself to sitting down and reading it.  It started off a bit slow, but quickly picked up speed.  The main character is Atticus O'Sullivan.  He appears to be a twenty-something red haired young man, but in reality he's a 2100 year old Druid.  He's full of tattoos that connect him to the Earth.  He's chock full of knowledge about many different faiths, magic, and Gods and Goddesses.  You live for 21 centuries, you pick up a few skills.  

Atticus lives in Arizona and owns an occult bookstore.  He likes to live quietly and wants no trouble.  Living in Arizona keeps the fae away and Atticus has successful stayed hidden from Aenghus Og--a god he pissed off centuries before by stealing his magical sword, Fragarach. Well, actually, he didn't steal it--he got it fair and square in a battle.  

Unfortunately, Atticus has been found, and now everyone is after him.  He's got to pull out all the stops to stay alive, protect his friends, and end the battle with Aenghus Og once and for all.  

If you are a fan of mythology of any kind, this is the series for you.  Every God and Goddess from all mythologies are alive and well in this series.  Native American Coyote, Celtic Goddesses, Thor, witches, vampires, and werewolves are everywhere.  The writing is quick paced, action packed, and full of humor.  A friend read these and said while he liked the novels well enough, he felt the characters were too perfect.  I can see his point a bit.  But, I figure if you've lived 21 centuries, you probably have figured out a lot of crap and have learned how to stay alive by always being prepared.  Atticus is a Druid, which I find fascinating.  He's actually the only Druid left on the planet.  His love of the earth and all of nature and his relationship with it are one of the more interesting aspects of the novels.  

I'm going to dive into Hammered, book three in the series.  It's followed by Tricked.  A fifth novel is coming out this fall, so I have a few months to catch up.  I usually don't like to read a series book after book, but I'm so enjoying this one I am breaking one of my rules and doing just that.  I liked Hexed even more than the first novel, as Atticus gets involved with some nasty witches trying to take over Tempe.  Toss in a group of Bacchants arriving from Las Vegas to create chaos at a night club, and Atticus has his hands full of trouble.

Rating:  4/5 for the first two novels in The Iron Druid Chronicles.  Great action, characters you immediately like and cheer for, and the blend of mythology is out of this world!

All are available as mass market paperbacks and e-books.

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The Iron Druid Chronicles: Hounded and Hexed